Mission: Guardian Undercover
by black-klepon
Summary: Arthur Kirkland still has several years to live in the prison, and is actually quite content inside. But when a chance arrives to have his freedom, will he take it? At the cost of being a bodyguard of Alfred F. Jones? AU.


Genre: Adventure/Romance  
Rating: PG13  
Character(s): America/England

Summary: Alfred F. Jones, young and naïve businessman. In order to expand his business, he needs to sign a contract with Yao, another businessman. Arthur Kirkland, assigned to be his bodyguard, had other secrets behind him...

* * *

Chapter 1

"Congratulations, eh, Alfred," Matthew said quietly, but with a tone laced with happiness. "I'm glad you won the tender."

"Yeah, thanks a bunch, Mattie. It'd be a very big lose for me if I'd lost that one." Alfred cheerfully answered back, patting his twin's shoulder who only smiled in return. Pulling his brown tie, he fanned with his right hand before shrugging off his jacket suit. "But damn, is it just me or is it rather hot today?"

"No..." Matthew trailed off, and looked up at the clear afternoon sky. "It's rather hot today, I agree. I wonder why, though?" And it was true; for the average temperature on September in the country was supposed to be cool enough. But he was interrupted from his train of thoughts when his twin smacked him on his back.

"C'mon, Mattie, let's go back." He said with a grin, "this calls for a celebration!" Pumping his fist into the air, he cheerfully rambled, "who d'you think I should invite? Kiku, Toris, Feliciano - who else, hm?"

"You should go invite Ludwig, eh," the Canadian pondered, and after a while, added, "he's Feliciano's job partner after all. Oh, and don't forget Lovino - the two are brothers, right?"

"Mm, yeah," Alfred agreed immediately, finally taking off his tie. Lifting his suitcase from the ground, he then began to run to the direction of his twin's car, all the while yelling, "c'mon Mattie, I need to prepare the invitations and you've got to help me!"

The younger of the twins only nodded, and headed back to his car. When his brother said they've got a party to plan, then there was no way that party could be canceled.

XXX

Alfred F. Jones was a young and newcomer to the world of business. It had only been a month or two when all of the sudden he showed up out of nowhere, defeating most of his competitors in the same preferred field of his; therefore, making some of his colleagues - or friends, as both sides would prefer - still call him as a newbie. Ayoung and _naïve _newbie.

He mostly worked on the field of aviation and its technology, since he believed that the sky held most of the people's dream back. There were lots of companies that served as his competitors; but he believed that his team could overcome all obstacles. And, as such, with a steel-strong determination to defeat all of his opponents, he had succeeded... and he never stopped there. Alfred was a strong believer of the saying 'the one who doesn't work, don't eat', thus sometimes working himself to exhaustion. And when things like that did happen, it was Matthew's job to stop his twin.

But the Canadian himself preferred a laid-back job, enjoying his daily work as a veterinarian. His shy and bashful attitude wasn't suitable for a job like Alfred's; though he occasionally joined his twin when he had a party. One look and people could immediately tell that he and Alfred were siblings, but when it all came down to attitudes, they were the exact opposite.

Alfred was loud, brash, and outgoing; and he had courage and confidence that could leave most people gaping. He was so full of energy that even Matthew couldn't hold back sometimes – maybe that was why he was able to blast through his competitors so quickly.

Though… maybe it was also because of the fact that they were separated when they were still babies. Their father was the one who raised Al after all, and their mother took care of him. They met again after Mother died… and after Father left, Alfred began working harder than ever. He supposed… Al was the older of the twins, so he probably felt responsible to take care of his brother.

Matthew was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, though. He'd lived quite far from Alfred for quite a while now; the older lived in the USA while he himself had decided to settle in Canada. His job didn't require him to travel around the world, although he did enjoy Al's company every once in a while. Not to mention the stuffs he usually brought back as souvenirs.

Some of them were given to him – electronics from Kiku, for example. The young Japanese was a force to be reckoned with all the electronics he produced. From what he could conclude; Kiku was one of Alfred's closest friend and business partner, because the two liked to meet each other outside the work meetings. Whether it was to discuss an entirely new game (Matthew swore, those two were one of the biggest gaming freaks he'd ever known) or just to crash at either one's place to play.

And then there were the Vargas brothers. They were Italian – Feliciano and Lovino – and handled automotive business. The two co-worked with Ludwig, a German, though Lovino's rather harsh attitude towards said man was a common sight. Feliciano, on the other hand, was quite clingy towards the German, much to his older brother's chagrin.

Alfred often met up with either the Vargas or Ludwig, and sometimes both parties combined. Usually it went pretty well, but on some rare occasions, Ludwig's strict attitude that clashed with Al's brash nature got in the way.

Toris, the Lithuanian, was a lot like him in terms of attitude. The brunette was a young and well-renowned lawyer, which was mostly because of his price. He was a humble person, and couldn't really abandon others when they needed his help. Rumors said that his attitude was probably the result of his childhood, where his only family left him with nothing. He had to work extremely hard, as the rumors said; but after he gained his success, those who spoke badly about him – mostly because they hated how could a small person passed them – clamped up.

Matthew sighed wistfully. Most people could only remember someone when they were on their peak state – their efforts went unnoticed. For him, though, it was the efforts that mattered the most; the efforts trained people and strengthened them. Without it, people were fragile and very easy to break… he had to admit, though, not all people who worked hard could enjoy their deserved result.

The World was unfair, after all…

The Canadian snapped out of his train of thoughts when his twin called. "Hey, Mattie, you ready?"

"Ah, yeah, be there in a sec, Al!" He answered back hastily, adjusting his attire for the last time. Looking back to his reflection in the mirror, he flashed himself a quick smile, muttering, "quite presentable, eh."

XXX

"Why don't you go to the building first, Al? I'll just park this car and get to you later." Matthew offered, already preparing to take off his seat belt.

The older blond shook his head vigorously, and with a grin, said, "nah, man! You've driven this car probably even more often than I do!"

The Canadian nodded mutely, staring blankly at the road ahead. Well, at least he'd offered… he had his own gift car anyway. Some of their properties were gifts from Al's colleagues, and within a month or so, Matthew found himself with loads of new thing's he had never imagined owning.

Eventually enough, they slowed down when Al spotted an empty space to park his car. It was right after a corner, and Matthew braced himself, for he knew his twin's tendencies with parking spot after a corner.

They managed to get out of the car and head to the building unscathed. Though Matthew barely dodged a jutting branch that threatened to hit him head-on on his forehead. Alfred had just glanced at him and laughed as he apologized.

Alfred was pulling his hand – or more like dragging him – to the building's entrance. For most people, the place was mostly known as high-class convention hall; but for Alfred who often visited it, Altyan was not only mere convention hall. It had a world-class international restaurant too, covering Oriental, Western, and even some traditional foods that people couldn't believe existed.

Two sentry guards, both clad in black, stood on each side of the wooden door. Matthew supposed… Al went here quite often, so they probably had remembered him by now. Still, it felt like he was going inside a FBI base or something like that.

Just in case _he _was the one that the guards stopped, the younger blond had already dug into his pocket to take his ID card, when he heard his twin saying, "he's my twin and we're having a dinner with some friends inside. Room 27 C."

One of the guards, the bald one, looked to his partner before nodding and said, "very well, sir. Second floor, right corridor, third door on the left side." Then he pulled what Matthew guessed was an electronic ID card and pressed it to the small reading device behind him. Grabbing the handle, the bald man pushed it open, and gestured for the siblings to enter.

"Thanks." He heard his twin mumble, before dragging him again.

Really, even if this time was probably the umpteenth time he was brought to this place, the Canadian couldn't help but to wonder that maybe there was a FBI or CIA base located underground… with guards like that at the entrance? Sure, he knew that Altyan was the place where quite important people of the World met up, and if anything went wrong then the owner of the place would take all the blame. Still…

Walking up the stairs, Alfred was already slightly hopping and skipping, and Matthew had to keep his balance, else he'd fall and met face-to-face with the carpet. He wanted to tell Al to slow down a bit, but… being the calmer one as he was, Matthew decided to keep quiet.

Finally arriving in front of their respective room, the American wasted no time to knock whatsoever, yanking the door open and greeted loudly, "hello everybody! Sorry I'm kinda late, was caught in a small traffic on the way here."

In the middle of the room was a round table with two empty seats left. Kiku, the Vargas brothers, Ludwig, and Toris were already sitting on their own seats. Each man held a menu book, except for the Italians – they shared, although the bickering made Matthew wonder if they could order properly. Ludwig looked like he wanted to separate them, but seeing Lovino's glare, he then decided to keep his attention focused on his menu.

Kiku smiled politely and answered back, "good night, Alfred-san." He waited patiently as the twins pulled their chairs and sat.

"So, everyone's got their order?" Alfred asked, glancing around the table.

"Yeah, I do, ve~" Feliciano chirped happily, Lovino's grumble following, "me too."

Eyeing the German and the Japanese, he then continued, "how 'bout you, Ludwig? Kiku?"

"I do." They answered at the same time, and Alfred grinned as he clapped his hand.

"Awesome. We'll order now then," he paused, and then waved at the standing waiter at the corner of the room, before continuing, "waiter! We want to order!"

The Japanese blinked once, and asked, "you don't need to look at the menu, Alfred-san?"

Waving his hand, the American said off-handedly, "nah, don't need to. I already know what I wanna order."

"Oh…" Kiku trailed off, before turning and tilting his head as to address the younger of the two. "And you, Matthew-san?"

"I, eh, uh…" Throwing a panicked glance at the approaching waiter, he fumbled quickly with his menu, and his eyes landed on the main dish page. The list was sorted by alphabetical order, so it made it easier for him to find his food… though he preferred that the list was sorted by the country origin. He found it just in time when the waiter arrived, taking out his electric notepad.

"Your orders, gentlemen?"

"I'll have fusilli ai formagi, ve~" Feliciano chirped, waving his hand at the waiter. Romano then added, "a lasagna ai funghi for me."

The waiter nodded and tapped the screen, and then continued, "as for the others?"

"I'm having a tenderloin steak, and make it rare. And…" The American drawled as he flipped to the beverages part, before pointing to one of the drinks. "Give me a plain café latte."

"I, um…" Matthew began, "one poutine and lemon tea for me, please."

Kiku ordered a Japanese dish – which Matthew couldn't really remember – along with miso soup and… green tea, he guessed. As for Ludwig, he ordered a Schweinsbraten – whatever that was, Matthew convinced himself that it was something from Germany and _edible_.

As soon as the group finished with their orders, the waiter nodded politely and excused himself to pass the orders over to the chef. And, as usual, Alfred was the one to start the conversation.

The Vargas' were still bickering about something, and he was sure that most of what Alfred was going to say would go unnoticed. Either ways, Alfred kept going on, even though he knew that the Italians weren't – or couldn't – listen to him. And Ludwig… was trying to separate them this time.

It was kind of amusing, if he had to be honest. Ludwig was busy with his own task; and Al was chatting cheerfully with Kiku. From what he could heard, they were talking about some new game that Kiku recently developed. Matthew shrugged; he could never bring himself to understand that sort of things. He did like playing games with Al at times, but it was not in his nature to be gamer.

The food came just in time as Ludwig finally managed to separate Feliciano and Lovino, and as Al finished his chat with Kiku.

They ate in a comfortable silence, and when they almost finished their own food, they began to talk again as they waited for the dessert to arrive. This time, though, Matthew could focus more on what his twin and the young Japanese was discussing about… and it was rather important, considering the tone they used right now.

"So, uh, what about this Yao, Kiku?" Alfred asked, propping his head with his hand.

"Well… according to most people, he's been quite a dweller within the field of raw material miner somewhere in China… not many people recognize him, though. It's mostly us Asians." Kiku answered after a moment of thinking.

"Oh?" This caught the American's interest; casually leaning nearer to the black-haired man. "So he's a raw material importer, eh?"

"Yes… that's more like it, I think." Nodding in agreement, he then resumed, "though, I don't really know myself. I sometimes buy the basic components for my electronics from him… but I haven't met him in person, actually. From what I can say, he's a quite friendly guy, Alfred-san. I just thought that maybe you wanted to meet him-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as Alfred cut him off.

"I'm going to meet him." The older blond stated firmly. "I'll just go and clear up mu schedule later when I got home, then." But he then paused, and frowned slightly, "where can I find him though? Where in China?"

"Eh," Kiku blinked, tilting his head. "I can't really remember… maybe I'll send you his address later?"

"Hm, yeah, sounds cool to me." Alfred grinned, before adding, "and don't forget that new game you mentioned earlier."

At this statement the young Japanese smiled, and nodded pleasantly. "no worries, Alfred-san. I won't forget that – and oh yeah, with that accessories you wanted too, right?"

"Awesome, man!" Patting his Asian colleague's shoulder, he grinned widely. "I guess I'll see you later, then?"

It probably sounded like their meeting was about to end, but Matthew knew that it was the other way around. His twin was finished with Kiku, but he still had Ludwig and the Vargas' to chat with.

They finished approximately an hour later, along with a bottle of red wine. Surprisingly, though, Feliciano was the one who drank the most. The Canadian liked drinking sometimes… but he couldn't hold his liquor too much, so it was only on rare occasions that he joined the party.

"So when are you going to visit that Yao, eh, Al?"

"Mm…" The American pondered quietly, "I still haven't got his address from Kiku, so it may be quite a time before I can make my arrangements…"

"Oh, okay then," he paused, "just make sure to tell me when you're leaving, 'kay Al?"

"Yeah, you got it, man." The older of the twin answered with a confident grin.

* * *

Arthur stared at the gray ceiling above him without even blinking.

Ah, there was a new spot – or was it the one that he'd missed the previous days?

He could vaguely hear Mathias' voice calling his name, but didn't pay it any heed. Maybe the Dane just wanted to annoy the hell out of him, which was usually the case.

When a hand slapped his left shoulder, Arthur couldn't help but to shot a pissed-off glare at his roommate. "What do you want?" He growled.

Mathias quirked an eyebrow, and chuckled merrily, all the while continuing to slap the Brit's shoulder. "Aw, come on, man! Don't be such a jerk!"

Arthur was growing impatient with each of the tall guy's slap. Finally running out of his already short patience, he finally got up and swatted the hand away. "What the fuck do you want, Mathias?" He snarled, glaring hard at the man across him.

Raising his hands in a surrendering gesture, the Scandinavian shrugged. "Dunno, just wanted to have a quick game with you, or maybe longer, if you're interested." Jerking a thumb at the direction of the door, he said nonchalantly, "Hendrik gave a deck of cards earlier on; probably an order from Berwald."

Arthur raised an eyebrow; why, a deck of cards. Quite unusual from the Dutch keeper. Papers and pen, he got them quite often (mostly used for writing and doodling, really), but cards? The strangest thing in his cell was Mathias' axe – how he could make his beloved weapon get inside this place was a wonder for him. But then again, his roommate had already been in the place longer than himself, so maybe the rule wasn't so tight back then.

"So, can I count you in or not?" The Dane asked again.

"No." He answered simply. He was way too bored and annoyed to even play a game.

The tall guy faked an exasperated sigh, and attempted to hug the Englishman. "Oh, come on, Arthur, one game wouldn't hurt! And I know you're bored too, so why not do something else?"

Sensing a danger approaching, Arthur scooted away and pushed the taller man away with his hand. "I'm not playing any game with you, Mathias, and that's final. You can go play anything with the set, I don't give a damn."

Crossing his arms, Mathias looked away and huffed, "fine. I've offered anyway." With that, he returned to his own mattress and opened the card's box.

Arthur's gaze followed the Dane until he sat cross-legged on his own place. His sense of danger eventually stopped warning him, and he laid back down.

He only stayed on the same position for a while, for he then turned to face the cemented wall to his left. The room had enough light just to help the men inside to not bump into the steely furniture; but dim enough to make it comfortable – as far as a prison's cell could be, anyway.

Any other times, when he didn't have anything – or anyone, in this case – that was bothering him, the surroundings helped him to slip into unconsciousness fairly quick. He could get a decent sleep, enough to put a distance between exhausted and well enough to do his daily activities. There wasn't much to do anyway; only three or four times a week that he had to do the hard works.

Aside from that, it was like a normal day for a prisoner like him.

His shared cell was special, though. When he first entered the infamous Galatasauros, he had expected the life inside was similar to the movies he used to watch back then.

It was true, actually, his first months here. Placed in a large cell with the others, the months had been dreadful. They had to share the food – which was scarce – and had to share the few bunks that were provided.

The jungle law of 'who's stronger gets the better one' really worked there. He eventually adapted into his environment, and managed to raise in the 'ranks'. The men who'd stayed in the cell longer than him saw him as an equal; and the newcomers looked up to him.

Maybe that was why he'd grown into this kind of person he was now… the principle of 'the World is unfair' planted firmly within him. Even the prison was fairer at times compared to the world outside.

The reason of why he was thrown into jail was not of an important one – or so he would like to believe – and there were others that had done things worse than he had, but didn't have to face the wrath of law.

Yes… the World was unfair, and he absolutely _loathed _those who didn't work hard but got to get the good ones.

Minutes passed, then probably an hour, Arthur didn't know. What he did know was that he could die from boredom right now, and Mathias was actually having fun with the cards only. Else he'd have the Dane complaining all around him already.

The Brit sighed tiredly. "Hey, Mathias?"

"Yeah?" Came the immediate answer.

"Can I join you?" He said, turning to face his roommate fully, and was rewarded with a satisfied grin.

"Sure you can, man. I've been waiting for you to play with me forever!" Gesturing with his free hand, he added, "c'mon, Arthur. One time wouldn't hurt, and-" He blinked, observing the blond, "you're probably bored as hell, staring at the wall like that."

"Belt up, Mathias." Arthur said after he picked up all the scattered cards and shuffled them. "Or you can play by yourself, twat."

Mathias smiled broadly and picked his cards. "Sure, King Arthur." Followed by a mock salute.

A small pillow battle ensued later on.

* * *

A/N: Hendrik is Netherlands, by the way, as his official name hasn't been published yet. The places' names are weird, I know... but eh, read and review, please? :)


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